It’s harder than people think when you don’t play 5 on 5 for six months and then hop back in after one practice. You can show flashes just based on instinct and muscle memory, but the rhythm isn’t always there, and it’s harder to shake off struggles. It was a longer hiatus, but Jordan was a 41 percent shooter in 1995 after coming back from baseball, while he was 50 percent in 1993 and 1996.
Alas, the plan was for the Cs to be in good shape and he could ease his way back in - but Tatum getting covid (and struggling at times since) threw those plans out and it’s been a struggle. The All-Star game reset should hopefully help the team approach the second half of the year with an “ok, now let’s do this” attitude.
I had to scrub all my Celtics Twitter feeds because it was too painful to read. I’m hoping he has some F-U type performances the second half of the year and in the playoffs, but I’ll settle for no more 1-12 or 4-21 games in one-point losses.